What Do Early Labour Pains Feel Like?

During prelabour you might feel a tightening sensation rather than a physical pain.

This is because the uterus is not yet acting on the cervix to dilate it. Rather, the cervix is softening and thinning in preparation for dilation.

In early labour, when the contractions start to open the cervix, you might feel a sensation similar to menstrual pain.

It can vary, depending on how you experience menstrual cramps. Some women notice an aching, cramping feeling in the whole pelvis.

Others might feel it quite localised where the cervix is, low down behind the pubic bone.

Over time these sensations will grow in intensity and become more regular. The contraction will start, grow in intensity, peak, then drop away. How long does early labour last? It depends on how ready your body is for labour.

How Long Does Early Labour Last?

The question on every pregnant woman’s mind is how long is labour going to last?

The answer is, no one knows. The length of labour is different for every woman and every pregnancy. It depends on a number of factors, such as:

How many babies you’ve had before

Your baby’s position

How effective your contractions are

Your environment and support people.

The first stage of labour is usually the longest. A first time mother will generally experience 6-12 hours of first stage labour, with the average length of time being about 8 hours.

The length of labour is usually counted from the beginning of active labour and doesn’t include early labour.

Most women don’t go into hospital until they are in the active stage of labour. Hospitals will record that as the beginning of labour and not include the time of early labour in their data.

So how long does early labour last?

Early labour itself can last between 8 and 12 hours. This sounds like a long time but remember, this is when your body is shifting into labour.

Contractions are mild and likely to be irregular. They last for about 30-45 seconds, with anything from 5-30 minutes of rest between contractions.

Labour builds over time and contractions will slowly increase in frequency and intensity.

Early Labour Signs In Second Pregnancy

As mentioned earlier, labour is different for each woman. It can also vary between each pregnancy you have.

From my own experience, this certainly rings true. My first baby was born after about 7 hours of active labour, with plenty of prelabour beforehand.

My second birth couldn’t have been any different. I had no prelabour at all. My waters broke one evening and contractions started overnight, but they were completely painless.

During the next day, the contractions started to increase in intensity but were exactly 15 minutes apart. Then they suddenly changed and I went straight into transition. Active labour was recorded as 90 minutes.

In subsequent pregnancies it’s not uncommon for labour to be shorter. Quite simply this is because by now your body really gets the idea.

Women who are having their second baby often notice prelabour is just as long as it was in their first birth. But when labour gets going, it’s generally shorter.

How To Speed Up Early Labour

Many women in early labour have this idea they should dosomething to speed things up.

They’re excited and just can’t wait to meet the new baby.

Or perhaps they are afraid to think about how long early labour might last.

They worry about being in pain for hours and hours.

Well-meant advice from family and friends will come flooding in: go for a walk, bounce on the birth ball, climb stairs… the list of ways to speed up labour is endless.

In fact, there is really no need to try to force early labour to speed up.

The early stage of labour is there to prime your body and brain for the work ahead.

Your brain is receiving the signals it needs to start producing more hormones. Oxytocin receptors in your uterus are reaching maximum levels.

Think of this stage as preparing for a marathon. You don’t start a marathon by sprinting from the starting line.

By the time you were halfway into the race you’d be exhausted – too tired to go on.

Doing too much during the early stage of labour can lead to the same thing. It also undermines your state of mind.

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Sam McCulloch Dip CBEdCONTRIBUTOR

Sam McCulloch enjoyed talking so much about birth she decided to become a birth educator and doula, supporting parents in making informed choices about their birth experience. In her spare time she writes novels. She is mother to three beautiful little humans.

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